Z733 
B77T2 


Tarbell 
Village  Library  in  Massachusetts 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Hmcrican  Xtbrar\>  Hssoctation 

I'U  HLISHING    BOARD 
LIBRARY   TRACT,   No.  8 


A  VILLAGE    LIBRARY    IN 
MASSACHUSETTS 

The  Story  of  Its  Upbuilding 
BY 

MARY    ANNA    TARE  ELL 

Librarian  Brimfield  Public  Library 


JUL 

\3N1- 


.  X.  B,  publisbing  3Boar& 

10  1-2    BEACON    ST..   HOSTOX 
1905 


Hmerican  %ibrar\>  association 

PUBLISHING   BOARD 
LIBRARY  TRACT,  No.  8 


A  VILLAGE  LIBRARY  IN 
MASSACHUSETTS 

The  Story  of  Its  Upbuilding 
BY 

MARY    ANNA   TARBELL 

Librarian  Britnfield  Public  Library 


H.  X.  H.  publisbino  Boarfc 

10  1-2  BEACON  ST.,  BOSTON 
1905 


q  A  REPRINT  OF  LEAFLET  No.  3 
OF  THE  MASSACHUSETTS  Civic 
LEAGUE 


^  I JJ 

377T2, 


THE  BRIMFIELD  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


TN  speaking  of  the  Brimfield  public  library  I  am  de- 
scribing, not  a  model  library,  but  a  type,  inasmuch 
as  it  illustrates  development,  in  some  degree,  along  vari- 
ous lines  of  library  progress.  Some  village  libraries 
have  gone  farther  and  done  better  in  certain  directions. 
The  Brimfield  library  represents  the  type  that  has  strug- 
gled upward  and  outward  with  limited  means  and  under 
many  disadvantages.  It  has  had  no  building  of  its  own ; 
it  has  been  confined  to  one  room;  it  is  open  only  during 
a  part  of  two  days  each  week;  it  has  had  no  appropria- 
tion from  the  town  except  the  dog-tax,  by  the  accumula- 
tion of  which  for  several  years  its  small  beginning  was 
established  twenty-seven  years  ago.  At  that  time  the 
dog- tax  averaged  less  than  $100  annually,  now  it  is  usu- 
ally nearly  $200.  It  had  no  endowment  fund  until  1896, 
when  it  received  a  bequest  of  about  $2,000  from  a  woman 
who  had  spent  her  life  in  school  teaching.  The  town, 
formerly  the  most  wealthy  and  influential  in  its  section, 
has  come  to  be  among  the  poorer"  ones,  and  has  suffered 
a  great  decrease  of  population.  Its  library  has  had  no 
lavish  patrons,  and  has  received  few  gifts  of  large 
amounts. 

Brimfield  lies  high  among  the  hills  on  the  eastern  bor- 
der of  Western  Massachusetts,  and  has  been  compara- 
tively isolated  since  the  time  when  the  Boston  and  Albany 
railroad  left  the  center  of  the  town  far  to  one  side.  The 
village  is  reached  by  a  stage-ride  of  eight  miles  from 
Palmer.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  its  life  and  institu- 
tions suffer  the  disadvantages  of  limited  connection  with 
the  world,  and  the  lack  of  conveniences  and  facilities. 

3 

701059 


For  the  various  reasons  that  have  been  mentioned,  such 
progress  and  expansion  as  the  library  has  achieved  have 
been  by  the  expenditure  of  great  effort;  the  power 
has  had  to  be  applied  at  a  disadvantage.  But  the  library 
has  its  share  in  the  compensations  which  this  remote  and 
quiet  town  enjoys  in  beauty  of  natural  scenery,  freedom 
from  distractions,  simple  and  genuine  society,  and  the 
preservation  of  a  type  of  life  of  which  the  leading  charac- 
teristics have  been  patriotism,  public  spirit  and  hospital- 
ity; educational,  literary  and  artistic  interests. 

The  Hitchcock  Free  Academy  has  been  the  distinc- 
tion of  Brimfield,  and  has  kept  up  the  educational  stand- 
ard of  the  community  since  its  establishment  in  1855. 
The  public  library,  founded  about  a  quarter  of  a  century 
later,  reflected  the  literary  sentiment  of  the  town,  and 
has  kept  alive  and  fostered  that  interest  during  a  period 
when  it  has  naturally  tended  to  decline  with  the  decrease 
of  vigorous  and  stimulating  life. 

The  secret  of  whatever  success  and  influence  the  li- 
brary has  attained  lies  in  the  purpose  to  keep  it  a  live 
organism,  putting  forth  buds  and  shoots  by  natural  de- 
velopment, and  being  grafted  with  new  ideas  and  activi- 
ties according  to  the  needs  of  its  environment  and  sugges- 
tions from  without.  And  perhaps  there  is  compensation 
for  its  lack  of  ways  and  means,  conveniences  and  tools, 
in  the  absence  of  conventionality,  fettering  rules  and  for- 
malities. There  is  probably  nowhere  a  freer  free  public 
library  than  the  one  in  Brimfield. 

I  have  been  describing  conditions  as  they  have  existed. 
The  library  is  soon  to  enter  upon  a  new  era  in  a  beauti- 
ful building,  the  gift  of  a  native  of  Brimfield.  From  its 
new  and  more  conventional  home  I  hope  we  shall  con- 
tinue to  dispel  the  institutional  feeling. 

Now  I  will  ask  you  to  go  with  me  into  the  cheerful 

4 


library  room  in  the  town  house  where  the  library  has  in- 
creased its  collection  from  a  few  hundred  volumes  to 
nearly  five  thousand,  and  where  it  has  gained  its  present 
measure  of  freedom  by  outgrowing  early  restrictions,  de- 
veloping new  ways  of  influence,  and  becoming  a  power 
felt  to  the  outermost  parts  of  the  community. 

"How  pleasant!"  you  will  be  likely  to  say,  as  at  first 
glance  you  see  the  books  ranged  around  the  sides  of  the 
room  within  easy  reach,  the  bright  colors  of  the  bind- 
ings enlivening  the  walls ;  for  the  books  were  freed  from 
their  dingy  wrappers  a  few  years  ago. 

Above  the  books,  on  the  wall  opposite  the  entrance,  is 
the  cast  of  Michael  Angelo's  "Holy  Family,"  and  facing 
it,  on  the  side  of  the  entrance,  is  "Victory  Tying  on  her 
Sandal."  On  a  third  side  is  a  Braun  photograph  of  the 
"Aurora."  These  decorations  were  presented  when  it 
was  found  that  we  should  welcome  and  appreciate  such 
things.  Other  decorations  are  steel  engravings  of  states- 
men and  crayon  portraits  of  former  citizens  associated 
with  the  library.  You  will  be  attracted  by  photographs 
of  scenes  in  Venice  on  a  home-made  screen  in  the  rear 
of  the  room,  and  then  you  will  observe  a  large  print  on 
an  easel,  to  find  that  it  is  the  new  Soldiers  and  Sailors' 
monument  of  New  York.  Near  by  is  a  piece  of  the  pure 
white  marble  of  which  the  monument  is  made.  The 
monument  has  special  interest  for  Brimfield  people,  as 
the  town  is  the  ancestral  home  and  beloved  Mecca  of  its 
designers.  The  pen-and-ink  drawing  conspicuous  against 
the  librarian's  desk  is  of  a  Brimfield  scene.  Such  work 
has  a  great  attractiveness  and  influence.  "Done  by  hand !" 
said  our  local  photographer  with  enthusiasm,  as  he  called 
the  attention  of  some  young  people  to  the  sketch.  The 
"done  by  hand"  decorations  and  all  those  contributions 
which  have  personal  associations  are  of  peculiar  value. 

5 


Our  first  work  of  art  was  a  rough  sketch,  on  brown 
paper,  of  a  Brimfield  scene  which  I  pinned  up  on  the 
door.  Nothing  has  ever  attracted  so  much  attention  and 
interest  as  this  pencil  sketch,  not  even  the  finest  photo- 
graphs we  have  since  possessed.  Gifts  of  this  nature 
mean  as  much  to  a  library  as  gifts  representing  ourselves 
do  to  a  friend.  At  a  time  when  the  pupils  of  the  schools 
were  having  unusual  advantages  in  drawing  and  color 
work  I  kept  their  sketches  on  exhibition,  greatly  to  the 
edification  of  pupils  and  parents,  and  the  enjoyment  of 
all  visitors. 

As  you  examine  the  books  you  will  probably  remark,  as 
visitors  always  do,  "What  a  fine  collection!"  Yes,  the 
library  was  started  on  a  high  plane  and  it  has  been  kept 
there.  The  per  cent,  of  fiction  is  not  over  large,  its  char- 
acter is  of  the  best,  and  the  library  is  especially  rich  in 
biography  and  American  history.  We  mean  to  get  the 
representative  works  of  all  classes,  even  if  but  a  few  vol- 
umes, and  I  try  to  get  recommendations  of  books  from 
those  who  have  especial  acquaintance  with  certain  sub- 
jects. The  library  has  grown  from  within,  outward,  ac- 
cording to  needs,  and  to  form  a  balanced  whole. 

There  is  a  good  proportion  under  Education,  purchased 
to  assist  the  teachers,  and  under  this  subject  are  a  num- 
ber of  books  relating  to  child  study,  quite  as  valuable  to 
mothers  as  to  teachers.  These  were  discovered  through 
our  kindergarten  friends.  All  the  children's  books  are 
selected  with  the  same  care.  Under  the  class  Philosophy, 
which  includes  Ethics,  and  under  Religion,  we  have  some 
of  the  books  representing  the  progressive  thought  of  the 
day.  If  such  books  are  read  by  only  a  few  people,  they 
should  be  bought  for  the  benefit  of  these  few,  and  the  in- 
fluence radiating  from  them. 

You  will  excuse  me  now  while  I  attend  to  this  boy  who 

6 


asks  for  a  good  book  for  his  mother,  a  novel,  and  to  this 
girl  who  asks  me  to  pick  out  a  "man's  book,"  which,  be- 
ing interpreted,  means  a  book  of  travels  for  her  father. 
Then  an  academy  pupil  is  waiting  for  help  to  find  some- 
thing on  "The  Passion  Play."  Yes,  I  have  to  select  a 
great  many  books,  and  I  learn  to  know  people's  tastes 
and  also  their  needs,  which  are  sub-conscious  tastes. 
Sometimes  people  say  that  the  librarian  knows  what  they 
want  better  than  they  do  themselves.  This  comes  by  ob- 
servation, by  some  anticipation  of  needs,  and  by  some 
guessing;  all  the  while  putting  one's  self  in  another's 
place.  Not  to  really  help  would  show  a  great  lack  of  in- 
telligence and  sympathy.  But  I  never  mean  to  be  obtru- 
sive or  officious  in  the  matter  of  opinion  and  advice. 
Rather,  I  often  realize  my  lack  of  wisdom  and  knowledge. 

For  some  years  it  was  a  great  problem  to  get  the  li- 
brary classified  and  catalogued.  A  collection  of  over 
4,000  volumes  unclassified  was  appalling,  but  no  appro- 
priation from  the  town  could  be  looked  for.  One  day 
a  former  resident  visiting  in  town  gave  me  a  check  for 
$25  to  use  at  my  discretion  for  the  library.  I  then  soli- 
cited twice  that  sum,  and  with  the  expert  help  that  the 
total  secured,  supplemented  by  my  less  skilled  labor 
afterwards,  I  succeeded  in  getting  the  library  classified 
and  one  set  of  cards  written. 

You  notice  that  the  people,  old  and  young,  are  taking 
the  books  directly  from  the  shelves.  This  sensible  free- 
dom has  been  granted  for  a  long  time,  the  Brimfield  li- 
brary having  been  among  the  first  to  allow  this  privilege. 
The  opportunity  to  handle  the  books  is  not  only  of  prac- 
tical help  in  making  selections,  but  promotes  acquaint- 
ance and  friendly  intercourse  with  the  books,  and  puts 
patrons  on  terms  of  affectionate  regard  and  cherished  in- 
timacy with  the  library.  People  may  take  out  as 

7 


many  books  at  a  time  as  they  wish.  There  will  then  be 
several  thousand  left  on  the  shelves.  At  first,  when  the 
library  was  small,  only  two  books  to  a  family  were  al- 
lowed. A  few  years  ago  the  number  limit  was  entirely 
removed ;  but  people  never  want  an  unreasonable  number 
of  books.  You,  perhaps,  would  like  to  take  out  some 
books.  You  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so.  The  stranger 
within  our  gates  for  a  night,  or  the  sojourner  for  some 
weeks,  whether  road-surveyor  or  summer  boarder,  has 
all  the  privileges  of  the  inhabitant  and  native. 

You  look  surprised  to  see  that  little  tot  with  glistening 
eyes  hugging  a  book,  and  say,  "Why,  that  child  can't 
read !"  No,  but  his  older  brother  and  sister  with  him  will 
read  the  book  to  him,  and  he  can  look  at  the  pictures. 
There  are  no  books  in  the  library  that  have  done  more 
good  than  Miss  Poulsson's  "Finger  Plays"  and  her  other 
books,  and  Miss  Wheelock's  little  books.  As  for  our 
copies  of  the  Brownie  books  and  bound  volumes  of  St. 
Nicholas,  they  are  almost  worn  out.  It  makes  the  little 
folks  so  happy  to  carry  the  books  themselves,  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  put  them  into  their  hands.  Besides,  it  is  open- 
ing a  path  to  the  library  for  them  which  they  will  follow 
in  the  years  to  come.  So  we  have  become  free  from  the 
age  limit.  It  has  passed  silently  and  by  degrees.  The  first 
move  in  this  direction  was  made  by  allowing  the  teachers 
to  be  responsible  for  books  taken  by  their  pupils.  The 
collection  of  books  for  young  people  and  children  includes 
no  volume,  I  believe,  that  is  not  desirable  in  its  character. 

I  wonder  if  you  are  enjoying  the  sight  of  the  children 
putting  their  heads  together  over  a  book  with  pictures, 
and  the  older  ones  discussing  and  recommending  books, 
as  they  take  them  from  the  shelves,  or  perchance  chat- 
ting about  other  matters.  For  we  allow  conversation, 
and  the  happy  youths  and  maidens  are  in  good  company 

8 


amid  such  surroundings.  On  Saturday  evenings  we  seem 
to  be  holding  a  reception,  especially  in  the  summer,  when 
those  who  have  been  away  teaching  or  studying  greet 
one  another  here,  and  when  the  former  resident,  now  a 
summer  boarder,  drops  in  to  renew  old  acquaintances. 
It  is  a  good  place  to  get  acquainted.  Patrons  introduce 
their  friends  to  me  and  I  introduce  strangers  to  the 
townspeople.  The  children  often  say,  "Good-bye,"  when 
they  go  out,  and  sometimes  an  academy  boy  will  give  a 
friendly  bow. 

The  extension  cases  and  satchels  in  the  corner  are  used 
for  sending  books  to  outlying  districts.  The  smaller  ones 
are  used  by  teachers  and  the  larger  ones  are  sent  to  East 
Brimfield  and  West  Brimfield.  We  get  books  to  the 
people  of  these  places  in  a  very  free  way.  For  four  or 
five  years  a  former  teacher  has  distributed  books  from 
her  home  in  East  Brimfield.  The  expense  of  transporting 
the  books  by  stage  has  been  paid  from  a  sum  contributed 
for  that  purpose  by  a  Boston  woman  whose  early  home 
was  in  East  Brimfield.  For  two  years  a  young  woman 
employed  at  the  railroad  station  at  West  Brimfield  has 
given  out  books  from  the  station.  The  work  of  each  of 
these  women  is  voluntary,  and  inspired  by  personal  inter- 
est. It  was  a  great  problem  to  get  the  books  to  West 
Brimfield,  as  that  section  is  not  connected  with  the  Center 
in  any  way.  For  all  practical  purposes  it  is  a  suburb  of 
Palmer.  The  present  plan  finally  developed.  The  books 
are  sent  by  stage  to  a  Palmer  grocery  store,  whence  they 
are  carried  by  the  delivery  team  to  West  Brimfield.  So 
the  books  travel  out  of  town  and  back  again,  making  a 
journey  of  twelve  to  thirteen  miles  to  cover  an  actual 
distance  of  six  miles. 

We  have  an  excellent  plan  for  letting  people  all  over 
town  know  what  books  the  library  contains,  by  printing 

9 


a  catalogue  of  the  yearly  additions  in  the  town  reports, 
appending  this  to  the  librarian's  report.  This  costs  the 
library  nothing,  the  expense  of  printing  being  borne  by 
the  town.  A  full  account  of  all  the  library's  activities 
and  developments  is  given  in  the  librarian's  report. 

It  is  a  great  pity  that  so  many  of  the  books  contain  an 
unsightly  yellow  label  on  the  fly  leaf,  giving  the  original 
rules  and  regulations.  Could  the  founders  of  the  library 
have  thought  that  these  would  be  always  in  force?  We 
are  now  rejoicing  in  a  new  book-plate  which  will  look 
these  yellow  labels  out  of  countenance  if  they  cannot  be 
removed.  The  design  on  the  book-plate  is  Steerage  Rock, 
an  immense  boulder  resting  on  the  highest  point  of  land 
in  Brimfield  and  in  the  original  Bay  Path,  the  route  taken 
by  the  settlers  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  in  their  journey 
from  the  Bay.  From  this  lofty  view-point,  the  Indians 
and  the  white  travellers  alike  steered  their  course  on  their 
journey.  The  motto  accompanying  the  design  is  "Books 
give  the  far  view." 

We  are  urged  by  the  Free  Public  Library  Commission 
to  collect  historical  material  in  the  library.  I  have  ob- 
tained a  good  many  ancient  books  from  attics  and  a  num- 
ber of  documents  and  papers  relating  to  the  history  of 
the  town.  Accounts  of  more  recent  events  and  biographi- 
cal sketches  of  citizens  who  have  died,  I  have  written  for 
the  Springfield  Republican,  and  thus  preserved  historical 
material.  I  am  trying  to  get  photographs  of  houses  for 
their  historical  value.  In  speaking  of  the  State  Library 
Commission,  I  must  acknowledge  its  assistance.  We 
have  not  only  received  gifts  of  books  from  the  state 
through  its  agency,  but  have  had  the  benefit  of  personal 
advice  and  have  been  stimulated  to  progress  by  its 
recommendations  and  counsel. 

Here  is  a  collection  of  books  on  Italian  art,  loaned  by 

10 


the  Woman's  Education  Association  of  Boston,  with  140 
pictures  accompanying  the  books.  This  is  the  seventh  of 
the  special  travelling  libraries  which  have  greatly  added 
to  our  resources.  The  Woman's  Education  Association, 
through  its  library  committee,  has  been  a  great  blessing 
to  us.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  the  benefit  derived 
from  the  loans  of  books  and  pictures,  and  of  the  encour- 
agement and  help  coming  from  the  personal  interest  of 
the  committee.  Most  of  the  travelling  libraries  sent  out 
by  the  Association,  now  over  forty  in  number,  are  mixed 
collections  of  books  to  supplement  the  smallest  libraries 
in  Western  Massachusetts.  The  first  travelling  library 
consisting  of  books  on  a  single  subject  was  prepared  for 
the  Brimfield  library.  The  subject  was  American  his- 
tory during  certain  periods,  and  the  volumes  were  found 
to  be  such  an  important  supplement  to  the  already  excel- 
lent collection  on  American  history  contained  in  the  li- 
brary that,  at  the  close  of  the  year,  the  set  was  not  al- 
lowed to  proceed  farther,  but  found  a  permanent  place  on 
the  shelves,  by  purchase  from  the  Association.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  in  response  to  our  request  for  art  books,  we 
received  a  set  of  seventeen  books  and  forty-nine  photo- 
graphs with  Venice  as  the  subject.  This  was  the  first 
travelling  art  library  the  Education  Association  sent  out, 
and  its  possession  was  the  distinction  of  the  year  in  the 
Brimfield  library.  The  photographs  were  the  first  our 
library  had  possessed,  and  they  were  received  with  de- 
light. They  were  carried  many  times  to  my  home,  so  that 
I  could  become  well  enough  acquainted  with  them  to 
show  them  with  some  intelligence.  I  carried  them  to 
neighbors'  homes  when  I  was  invited  out,  as  people  used 
to  take  their  knitting.  Every  visitor  to  the  library  looked 
at  them  with  great  interest,  and  I  was  especially  happy 
to  have  them  keep  some  of  the  boys  in  the  library  dur- 

ii 


ing  Saturday  evenings,  and  away  from  the  neighboring 
stores.  As  for  the  books,  I  offered  them  wherever  I 
thought  they  would  be  read,  or  partially  read,  my  method 
being  to  show  the  pictures  and  then  recommend  a  book. 
Probably  no  photographs  could  have  been  selected  that 
would  have  been  so  generally  enjoyed  as  those  of  Venice, 
or  to  form  a  better  introduction  to  the  study  of  Italian 
art.  In  the  summer  a  group  of  women,  ten  in  all,  formed 
a  circle  for  the  study  of  the  pictures  and  books.  A  class 
in  such  a  subject  was  more  feasible  in  summer,  as  it  was 
composed  partly  of  teachers  and  others  who  return  to 
Brimfield  for  the  vacation.  None  of  us  were  art  students, 
and  none  of  us  had  been  to  Italy;  but  we  received  great 
enjoyment,  inspiration  and  instruction  from  that  sum- 
mer's communion  with  the  art  of  Venice.  These  pictures 
had  so  entered  into  the  life  of  the  library  that  I  felt  we 
could  not  give  them  up,  so  a  collection  was  taken  of 
twenty-five  cents  apiece  from  members  of  the  "Venetian 
Club"  to  replace  some  of  the  pictures  when  the  travelling 
library  should  depart.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  what  I 
have  named  the  "picture  fund,"  for  which  about  $25  has 
now  been  collected. 

The  next  year  we  had  a  travelling  library  on  Florence 
consisting  of  twenty-one  books  and  nearly  two  hundred 
pictures.  Such  books  as  those  of  the  Florence  library 
would  not  be  likely  to  attract  readers  in  general,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  call  attention  to  them  even  more  care- 
fully than  to  the  Venice  books.  There  are  some  people 
who  want  such  reading,  but  who,  without  its  being  called 
to  their  attention,  would  not  be  conscious  of  the  want. 
Said  one  man,  when  he  brought  back  Villari's  life  of  Sa- 
vonarola, "I  have  found  a  new  hero." 

The  subject  of  the  next  travelling  library  was  English 
architecture.  There  were  twenty  volumes  and  sixty- 

12 


three  pictures,  the  pictures  of  especial  interest  being  those 
of  English  cathedrals.  As  my  contribution  to  the  pro- 
gram of  the  local  grange  I  chose  "An  Evening  in  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,"  and  exhibited  the  pictures  of  the 
travelling  library,  supplemented  by  some  of  my  own,  as- 
signing descriptive  sketches  of  the  subjects  represented 
to  various  members.  The  pictures  were  hung  in  the  town 
hall,  where  the  meetings  of  the  grange  were  held,  and. 
the  exhibition  was  afterwards  visited  by  other  towns- 
people and  by  school  pupils. 

The  next  year  we  had  a  travelling  library  on  Rome 
consisting  of  twenty-three  books  and  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  pictures.  That  year  we  had  a  winter  study- 
circle  composed  of  people  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  and 
we  took  up  the  study  of  Roman  history  as  illustrated  by 
the  photographs.  Several  people  from  the  adjoining 
town  of  Wales  attended  some  of  these  meetings.  One  of 
these  friends,  then  a  grammar-school  teacher,  afterwards 
received  an  appointment  to  teach  Roman  history  in  a 
city  high  school,  and  he  has  spoken  of  those  un-academic 
evenings  in  Rome  as  of  great  advantage  to  him  in  his 
teaching. 

The  next  travelling  library  had  Shakespeare  for  its 
subject,  and  consisted  of  a  number  of  edited  plays  and 
some  of  the  best  critical  works,  with  about  a  dozen  pic- 
tures. A  group  of  people  in  Wales,  stimulated  partly  by 
our  meetings  of  the  previous  winter,  took  up  the  study 
of  Shakespeare,  pursuing  it  more  faithfully  and  pro- 
foundly than  we  did,  and  we  sub-loaned  some  of  the 
books  of  our  travelling  library  to  them.  At  the  close  of 
the  winter  the  Wales  Shakespeare  Club  held  a  banquet 
at  the  Brimfield  hotel,  which  a  number  of  our  members 
attended  as  invited  guests.  It  was  a  most  delightful  oc- 
casion. The  hotel  parlors  were  decorated  with  photo- 

13 


graphs  belonging  to  our  travelling  library,  and  tables 
here  and  there  held  its  choice  volumes  to  be  looked  over. 
The  feast  was  preceded  by  the  reading  of  appropriate 
quotations  from  Shakespeare  placed  at  each  plate. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  the  benefit  derived  one 
summer  from  photographs  of  Nuremberg,  loaned  by  a 
member  of  the  Woman's  Education  Association.  Meet- 
ings were  held  in  different  homes,  and  some  acquaint- 
ance with  Nuremberg  led  to  a  study  of  the  artist  Durer, 
for  which  reproductions  of  his  work  were  borrowed  from 
Forbes  library,  Northampton,  and  books  and  more  pic- 
tures from  another  source. 

Not  only  have  pictures  been  used  for  study  in  the  ways 
described,  but  they  have  been  taken  from  the  library  into 
homes  where  they  have  been  especially  appreciated  in  the 
case  of  shut-in  lives.  They  have  afforded  enjoyable  and 
profitable  entertainment  for  our  socials  held  at  private 
houses  by  the  Village  Improvement  Society.  At  the 
library  they  are  placed  on  tables  and  hung  about  the 
room. 

An  interesting  exhibition  of  pictures  suggested  by  the 
use  of  those  loaned  by  the  Education  Association  was 
held  at  my  home  as  the  attraction  of  a  Village  Improve- 
ment Social.  A  clergyman  in  an  adjoining  town  had  of- 
fered to  give  a  talk  on  his  trip  in  England  and  Scot- 
land in  the  town  hall  for  the  benefit  of  the  Improvement 
Society.  He  could  not  bring  a  stereopticon  but  would 
loan  a  hundred  photographs  which  he  had  collected,  to 
be  shown  in  the  library  previous  to  the  lecture.  I  thought 
of  an  additional  scheme  and  had  a  social  appointed  at 
my  home.  Then  I  hung  the  photographs  on  the  walls  of 
three  rooms,  so  that  the  house  was  transformed  into  a 
gallery  of  foreign  scenes.  The  names  of  the  scenes  were 
written  by  school  pupils  in  the  clear  vertical  hand,  and 

14 


the  pictures  were  grouped  under  headings  such  as,  "The 
Lake  District,"  "English  Cathedrals,"  "University  Col- 
leges," "London,"  "Shakespeare's  Home,"  "The  Sir 
Walter  Scott  Country,"  "The  Abbeys  of  Scotland."  The 
effect  was  magical  in  its  transporting  power.  Eighty 
people  were  present  on  the  appointed  evening,  and 
studied  the  pictures  with  great  enjoyment.  It  may  be 
mentioned  here  that  ice-cream  was  served  during  the 
evening,  which  netted  the  Improvement  Society  $8.00, 
The  exhibition  was  kept  open  the  remainder  of  the  week 
and  was  visited  by  pupils  of  the  Academy  and  the  town 
schools  and  by  old  people  and  invalids,  who  enjoyed  the 
pictures  at  their  leisure,  spending  several  hours  with 
them. 

In  common  with  many  other  libraries,  we  have  received 
from  the  Education  Association  travelling  sets  of  pic- 
tures without  books,  to  be  kept  two  weeks  or  more. 
Special  exhibitions  of  these  have  been  held  and  they  have 
been  visited  by  townspeople  and  delegations  from  schools. 
When  we  had  pictures  of  the  Library  of  Congress  for  a 
few  weeks  the  library  was  turned  into  a  picture  gallery, 
and  was  opened  for  extra  periods,  afternoon  and  evening. 
The  exhibition  was  very  generally  announced  throughout 
the  town  and  brought  many  visitors.  People  were  in- 
vited to  give  such  sums  as  they  chose  for  the  purchase 
of  pictures  and  contributions  from  five  cents  (from  chil- 
dren) upward,  were  made.  Several  old  residents  visiting 
in  town  gave  a  dollar  apiece,  and  one  out-of-town  friend, 
partly  in  recognition  of  the  use  of  the  library  by  herself 
and  children,  gave  five  dollars.  Since  then  the  contribu- 
tions from  patrons  of  the  library  have  continued,  the  sum 
suggested  by  me  being  twenty-five  cents.  Each  summer 
visitors  in  town  say,  "Do  we  not  have  to  pay  something 
for  the  use  of  the  library?"  "O  no,"  I  reply,  "the  library 

15 


is  free  to  all,  but  a  contribution  to  the  picture  fund  will 
be  welcome."  From  this  so-called  fund  we  have  bought 
thirty-one  photographs  of  Venetian  scenes  and  art  and 
other  pictures,  have  subscribed  for  the  Perry  Magazine, 
and  have  an  unexpended  balance.  From  this  source  we 
are  making  a  very  fine  collection  of  photographs  of 
Brimfield,  whose  scenes  are  unusually  picturesque.  Pic- 
tures seem  to  have  unusual  attraction  for  Brimfield  peo- 
ple, old  and  young,  and  all  those  we  possess  and  have 
had  loaned  to  us  have  become  familiar  to  them.  The 
local  scenes  are  especially  prized  by  townspeople  and  are 
shown  with  pride  to  their  out-of-town  friends. 

Besides  having  started  a  picture  collection  of  our  own, 
we  have  made  the  beginning  of  a  choice  collection  of 
books  on  art  subjects  by  purchasing  some  of  the  books 
of  each  of  the  travelling  art  libraries  and  adding  a  num- 
ber of  volumes  to  them.  A  few  years  ago  the  library 
contained  only  one  volume  on  art,  Mrs.  Jameson's  "Early 
Italian  Painters."  Like  attracts  like.  The  possession  of 
a  number  of  pictures,  the  interest  shown  in  them,  and 
the  evident  desire  to  increase  the  advantages  of  the  li- 
brary in  that  direction  must  tend  naturally  to  bring  ad- 
ditions. Beautiful  photographs  of  Paris,  Rome  and 
Florence  have  been  sent  to  the  library  by  a  former  resi- 
dent of  the  town  travelling  abroad.  Gifts  of  art  books 
having  choice  illustrations,  some  new  and  some  old,  have 
come  from  various  sources. 

So  far  the  benefit  of  books  and  pictures  obtained  from 
without,  which  have  stimulated  and  assisted  interest 
within  the  library  and  town,  has  been  dwelt  upon.  There 
is  another  means  of  help,  another  need.  The  speaking 
voice  as  well  as  the  printed  page  and  pictures  is  needed 
to  increase  the  influence  for  which  a  library  stands.  Every 
time  we  have  had  a  travelling  library  I  have  longed  for 

16 


lectures  on  that  subject.  The  first  loan,  that  of  a  set  of 
books  on  American  history,  was  the  result  of  a  call  for 
certain  books  on  colonial  history  at  some  informal  meet- 
ings held  for  local  history  research,  and  these  meetings 
followed  a  loan  exhibition  of  antiquities.  An  ideal  com- 
bination of  advantages,  if  offered  at  the  same  time,  would 
be  such  an  exhibition  or  pictures,  according  to  the  chosen 
subject,  a  special  library,  a  study  circle  and  lectures.  In 
accordance  with  this  idea,  Miss  Elizabeth  Perkins,  chair- 
man of  the  art  committee  of  the  Woman's  Education  As- 
sociation, gave  a  talk  upon  Rome  before  our  study  circle, 
using  the  travelling  library  on  that  subject.  Miss  Per- 
kins took  a  journey  of  over  eighty  miles  by  rail  and  a 
drive  of  eight  miles  in  the  dead  of  winter  for  our  benefit ; 
while  we  were  transported  from  Brimfield  to  Rome  by 
her  vivid  descriptions  and  illuminating  answers  to  our 
questions.  Lectures  in  the  small  country  towns  need  not 
be  wholly  gratuitous,  although  some  aid  from  outside 
would  be  necessary  to  secure  such  speakers  as  are  most 
to  be  desired.  And  why  cannot  there  be  established  a 
systematic  plan  of  after-school  education,  a  modified  form 
of  the  principle  of  university  extension,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  public  libraries?  The  growing  connection  of 
small  and  remote  towns  with  one  another  and  with  larger 
places  by  trolleys  makes  such  a  plan  feasible. 

The  co-operation  of  the  city  is  needed  to  increase  the 
advantages  of  country  life.  The  country  has  given  of  its 
best,  it  is  still  giving  in  many  ways,  and  some  good  things 
should  flow  back.  There  is  little  realization  of  the  heroic 
effort,  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  of  the  few  who  are  left 
to  keep  up  the  institutions  and  administer  the  affairs  of 
the  old  town.  The  Woman's  Education  Association  has 
set  a  shining  example  of  assistance  to  the  small  towns 
and  remote  communities  on  the  part  of  those  who  enjoy 

17 


the  advantages  of  city  life.  A  generous  expenditure  of 
time,  money,  labor,  expert  knowledge  and  friendly  inter- 
est by  the  members  of  its  library  committee  has  gone  into 
the  assistance  given,  and  this  has  been  furthered  by  per- 
sonal visits.  The  example  of  these  women  should  lead 
people  to  find  ways  of  helping  country  life.  Assistance 
need  not  be  on  a  large  scale,  and  if  the  country  library 
is  the  object  of  interest,  it  should  be  realized  that  it  is  not 
by  large  gifts  alone  that  it  can  be  helped.  Personal  inter- 
est, an  act  of  service,  a  single  book,  a  magazine  subscrip- 
tion, a  dollar,  will  be  of  value  far  exceeding  the  apparent 
size  of  the  contribution.  No  small  part  of  the  value  to 
the  Brimfield  library  of  such  remembrances  is  the 
stronger  bond  with  outside  friends  created  by  them.  It  is 
true  that  sometimes  contributions  are  forthcoming  only  as 
needs  are  spoken  of;  but  suggestions  are  usually  wel- 
come, and  the  recipients  of  such  benefits  are  not  to  be 
looked  upon  as  pensioners,  but  as  sharers  in  a  co-opera- 
tive work  and  life. 

Co-operation  has  a  broader  meaning  than  the  combin- 
ing of  assistance  from  outside  with  effort  at  home  to  im- 
prove the  country.  A  condition  much  to  be  desired  is  the 
closer  interweaving  of  the  life  and  interests  of  country 
and  city  for  the  welfare  of  both,  and  the  country  library 
is  peculiarly  adapted  to  be  an  influence  in  this  direction. 
No  institution  is  less  local  by  nature,  and  it  forms  a  com- 
mon meeting  ground  for  the  higher  order  of  interests. 
It  is  a  means  of  stimulating  and  broadening  life  in  the 
country,  and  it  may  be  a  source  of  inspiration  and  re- 
freshment, in  experience  and  memory,  as  has  been  said 
of  the  Brimfield  library,  to  those  who  are  leading  the 
crowded  and  overwrought  existence  of  the  city.  There 
is  an  added  influence  reaching  out  from  the  good  things 
of  the  country  because  of  their  setting  and  associations, 

18 


their  connection  with  permanent  values  and  sources.  The 
substance  of  the  library,  literary,  educational,  artistic, 
social,  is  gradually  being  incorporated  into  the  life  of  the 
home  town,  but  cannot  be  conhned  within  its  limits;  so 
that  whatever  increases  the  library's  resources  and  scope 
is  a  contribution  to  a  larger  community. 

Such  a  contribution  is  the  new  building  in  Brimneld, 
and  it  is  no  less  a  general  blessing  because  it  is  re- 
markably in  keeping,  in  its  character  and  spirit,  with  the 
genius  and  traditions  of  the  life  of  the  town  as  well  as  of 
the  library  for  which  it  is  to  form  the  fitting  abode.  A 
memorial  to  the  giver's  mother,  it  is  set  among  the  apple 
trees  of  the  ancestral  homestead,  and  is  built  of  stones 
from  the  fields  of  the  town.  There  is  a  homelike  feeling 
within,  centering  in  the  broad  hearthstone  before  the 
great  fire-place,  brought  from  the  farm's  hillside  ledge  to 
become  the  village  hearthstone;  and  this  inviting,  hos- 
pitable spirit  will  enhance  the  social  enjoyment  that  has 
before  existed.  The  books  will  be  ranged  on  the  walls 
within  easy  reach  and  taken  with  all  possible  freedom, 
without  bar  or  barrier  to  shut  them  in ;  while  the  power 
of  books  and  hearthstone  will  be  extended  by  the  fine  yet 
simple  art  of  the  design  and  furnishings  of  the  interior, 
with  their  appeal  to  the  sense  of  beauty  and  fitness,  and 
their  education  of  the  taste. 

In  the  new  building  the  library  is  to  find  its  truer  em- 
bodiment and  means  of  development.  The  free  public 
library  in  Brimfield  will  mean  the  freedom  of  the  books, 
with  their  wide  distribution,  combined  with  the  hospital- 
ity of  the  public  hearthstone  in  its  environment  of  artistic 
beauty  and  interest ;  and  cherished  by  outside  friends  and 
sending  out  its  influence  beyond  the  hill  boundaries  that 
encircle  the  town,  it  will  be  more  and  more  a  power  for 
uniting  interests  within  and  without,  to  form  one  com- 
munity. 19 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-50wi-ll,'50 (2554)444 


THE  LIBRAHT 

LfNJVEL 

AK 


B77T2  A  village  libra- 


LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  000  837  481 


Z733 
B77T2 


